New Volvo Trucks video: four-year-old remote controls truck into 360 spin

For me, this tops the Van Damme ‘split between two trucks while driving’ stunt. While cool, there is something about this video that brings me back to my own childhood, very I would envision similar scenarios. Now they have been brought it to life. Enjoy.

Full Press Release:

Once again Volvo Trucks is pushing the boundaries of what is humanly possible – or at least possible with a truck. In the most recent Live Test, “Look who’s driving”, four-year-old Sophie drives an 18 tonne Volvo FMX through a construction area using a remote control. Sophie puts the truck through some serious manoeuvres, including driving through a thick brick wall and climbing a steep, soft slope, before rolling all the way down in a full 360-degree turn.

Over the year, the truck has been given several new functions, such as the Automatic Traction Control – an all-wheel drive system that kicks in automatically when needed. With the “Look who’s driving”, Volvo Trucks wants to show how much the truck can tolerate.

“To show what the truck can do, we wanted to give it a real challenge. What test driver is more reckless than an unpredictable four-year-old?” asks Ricard Fritz, Vice President of Volvo Trucks.

This is not the first time Volvo Trucks has used an unusual driver to showcase the performance of its trucks. In the 2013 YouTube hit The Hamster Stunt – part 3 in the Volvo Trucks Live Test series – a hamster drove a Volvo FMX. This was in order to showcase the truck’s dynamic steering that’s so easy to handle that even a heavy truck can be controlled with just the fingertips on the steering wheel.

The Live Tests series

– The “Look who’s driving” is the seventh test in Volvo Trucks’ Live Test series, starting with The Ballerina Stunt, launched in 2012. Previous tests also include viral successes such as The Hook, The Hamster Stunt and The Epic Split.

– The idea behind the Live Test series is to showcase the performance of Volvo trucks by putting them through spectacular tests.

– The Live Test series has been viewed over 100 million times on YouTube and has been shared 8 million times online.

To check out all The films in Volvo’s Live Test Series Click Here

The following functions were tested in the film:

– Automatic Traction Control – automatic all-wheel drive, activated when needed. The result is better traction, less wear and tear and lower fuel consumption.

– Sturdy Front Corner – bumpers made of 3 millimetre thick high grade steel as an extension of the chassis.

– Skid Plate – protects the truck from loose objects, e.g. when driving on gravel or stony areas. The 3 millimetre thick steel Skid Plate is built to withstand at least 5 tonnes of pressure.
– Volvo FMX has a ground clearance of 30 cm, meaning that vital parts such as the suspension and brake discs aren’t at risk of damage when running on rough ground.

– Body in white – the unique “body in white” cabin design protects the driver from injury, including if the truck turns on its side.

– Waterproof – Volvo FMX is built to work in the toughest conditions, including water. All sensitive parts are placed and sealed to keep dirt and water out.

 Here is some behind the scenes footage as well as facts about the Volvo FMX

Truck facts

Truck: Volvo FMX 8×6 All Wheel Drive

Horsepower: 540

Specification: Day Cab, Dumper Body, I-Shift, Chassis Extra High

While not the shiny new beast that the young test driver was in control of in the video, there are some good, hard working Volvo trucks available stateside.  Check out these finds on eBay Motors (click on the photos to check out the auction!):